TORONTO – A lifetime practitioner of traditional martial arts, former UFC champion Lyoto Machida (16-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) has followed the modern incarnation of MMA since its 1993 inception.

As with anyone who’s done the same, Machida has observed and admired the career of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture (19-10 MMA, 16-7 UFC) from the very beginning.

At Saturday’s historic UFC 129 event, Machida will put personal adulation aside and take on “The Natural” in a pivotal main-card matchup “The Dragon” hopes will snap a two-fight losing streak and restore him to the upper echelon of the UFC’s 205-pound division.

“I remember watching Randy when I was young,” Machida said through his manager and interpreter, Ed Soares. “I was probably 18 or 19 years old, and I remember that not only was he a great fighter inside the octagon, but he was also a great guy outside of the octagon with a lot of respect for his opponents. I’ve always respected that.

“I respect Randy Couture a lot, but at the moment, there’s a fight, and all that goes to the side, and I’m going in and giving it my all to beat Randy.”

Less than 12 months ago, Machida was still the UFC’s reigning light heavyweight champion and carried an incredible 16-0 mark, albeit a record marred by a controversial win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Machida was then knocked out by Rua in the rematch. Following the loss, he admitted he was a bit relieved to longer carry the pressure of defending an undefeated mark. But a subsequent controversial decision loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson left some MMA pundits openly questioning how great the former champion had ever really been.

Despite the mounting negatives, the introspective Machida said he learned valuable lessons in preparation for this weekend’s event, which takes place at Toronto’s Rogers Centre and airs on pay-per-view.

“There’s always something to learn from every experience and every loss, but what I gained from my second loss was to maybe be a little bit more aggressive earlier in the fight,” Machida told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “Maybe start to pull the trigger maybe in the second round or the end of the first round to make a difference in the judges’ eyes. Hopefully I don’t have to go to the judges, but if it does, I want to make that difference.”

In addition to his aggression, Machida has listened to some MMA observers who question his karate-based style of operating in the cage. He went back to the drawing board between the Rua and Jackson fights in hopes of finding an answer to his shortfalls. He sought out advice from his sometimes training partner, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, in a scene that is depicted in “The Spider’s” recently released documentary, “Like Water.”

Silva told Machida to be confident in his style, a family art built over a lifetime. According to Silva, winning cures all when it comes to criticism.

“After the ‘Shogun’ fight, I was getting a lot of pressure from the media and the fans about my style of fighting,” Machida said. “All Anderson was telling me was that I didn’t need to change my style – just do what I do best and go out there and perform.

“People are going to say what they’re going to say, but you have to go out there and perform and win. That’s what it’s about.”

But Machida admits he has refined his approach to training. The “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality of the past has been removed, and a thirst for more knowledge has been installed in its place.

“People always have this saying that if the team is winning, don’t mess with it and don’t change anything,” Machida said. “I used to think that, but I don’t think that anymore. I believe that in this sport, you have to constantly be changing and constantly be evolving. Change is good.”

At 47 years old, Couture has certainly gone through his share of changes. From earning UFC gold in two different divisions to a pair of temporary retirements, Couture has evolved along with the sport. However, Machida believes there’s enough consistency in his opponent’s approach that the fight will likely take a predictable path.

“Looking at Randy Couture, yeah, he can make adjustments to his game, but there’s a certain consistency that comes with Randy Couture, and there’s only so much he can change and so much he can adapt to,” Machida said. “The best way to figure that out is to see what his strategy is in the beginning of the fight, and I’ll adapt accordingly.”

UFC president Dana White vehemently defended Machida at Wednesday’s pre-UFC 129 press conference and said that recent losses have done little to diminish the reputation of “The Dragon.” That said, Machida is in desperate need of a win to snap his current two-fight skid.

He’ll have to play the role of heel on Saturday night as he looks to end the retiring Couture’s career on a sour note.

“I feel that a victory over Randy Couture would definitely put me back in that title line,” Machida said. “It’s an honor to have somebody like Randy Couture choose to want to fight to me, especially to be part of his legacy and career. To have him choose me in his last fight as a professional fighter, it makes me very proud, and it’s an honor.”

And along with the profound respect he maintains for his opponent, Machida will look to set aside the pressure of a much-needed win as he looks to return to vintage form.

“I was always interested in fighting Randy Couture, but as my career was evolving, I would see him retire and then come back. It was something that I always wanted to do, but it always seemed distant from happening. Thank God it did, and now we’ll see Saturday night.”

For complete coverage of UFC 129, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.